24v to 12v Dropper

[Hydro-Cell UK]

Hi all

Will my 24v to 12v Dropper drain my battery's when the HHO cells are not use. Does the Dropper use any power say over night when the Vehicle is asleep? and does it just draw power when the cells are on?

Many thanks!

[benny]

(02-01-2010 02:47 AM)Hydro-Cell UK Wrote:  Hi all

Will my 24v to 12v Dropper drain my battery's when the HHO cells are not use. Does the Dropper use any power say over night when the Vehicle is asleep? and does it just draw power when the cells are on?

Many thanks!

Your dropper should draw little or no power when your cells are not in use.
However, depending on what design of voltage dropper you use, you may be wasting a lot of power when the cell is running. Linear regulators are innefficient especially when you need to reduce the voltage by the amount you require.

e.g. Voltage drop across dropper = 12
with 6A (as example) through the system

Power loss across your dropper wil be 12 * 6 = 72 watts
Power used in cell will also be 12V * 6A = 72 Watts

50% efficient. Not good
Note that the efficiency quoted above is for power utilisation, not for HHO generation efficiency, which is a different matter altogether.

I suggest, for your 24V system, that you look at using two 12V cells in series, or a single unit designed/constructed for 24Vdc. No voltage dropper, but with a suitable PWM to further regulate current through your cells.
That way all your power is used in electrolysis and not wasted as heat.

[Paulusgnome]

If your dropper is of the switchmode type (most common type these days), then it will draw a small standing current, even with no load on the output. This current should be quite low, perhaps only a few mA or 10's of mA, but if left connected it will eventually flatten the battery.

You wouldn't use a linear regulator, surely? Halving the voltage with a linear regulator will waste as much power as it passes to the cell.